Remote management of VoIP device contact lists

ABSTRACT

An apparatus is disclosed for providing voice-over-IP (VoIP) services to and configuring contact lists for a plurality of VoIP-enabled devices. The apparatus includes a VoIP server communicatively connected to the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices. The VoIP server includes a call routing circuit configured to route VoIP calls to and from the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices communicatively-coupled to the VoIP server. The VoIP server also includes a device management circuit configured to maintain a list of IP addresses for each of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices. In response to receiving a first data message, from a first device not included in the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices, that includes contact information and identifies one of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices, the device management circuit adds a new contact having the contact information to the respective contact list of the identified one of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to management of voice-over-IP (VoIP)enabled devices.

OVERVIEW

VoIP technology allows for calls to be made using internet connections.VoIP technology can be used in place of traditional analog/digital phonelines and can also be used to supplement traditional phone lines.Depending upon the type of VoIP servers and the VoIP provider'scapabilities, VoIP calls can be made between VoIP users and/or to anyonehaving a telephone number (e.g., calls to local, long distance, mobile,and/or international numbers). VoIP calls can be initiated and receivedusing a general purpose computer (e.g., using software that provides asoft phone interface), specialized hardware (e.g., a VoIP-enabledtelephone), or specialized interface equipment (e.g., a VoIP adapter foran analog telephone).

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to network applicationsthat address challenges including those discussed above, and that areapplicable to a variety of applications, devices, systems and methods.These and other aspects of the present disclosure are exemplified in anumber of implementations and applications, some of which are shown inthe figures and characterized in the claims section that follows.

According to one or more embodiments, an apparatus is disclosed forproviding VoIP services to a plurality of VoIP-enabled devices havingrespective contact lists, and for configuring contact lists of theplurality of VoIP-enabled devices. The apparatus includes a VoIP servercommunicatively connected to the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices. TheVoIP server includes a call routing circuit configured to route VoIPcalls to and from the plurality of VoIP-enabled devicescommunicatively-coupled to the VoIP server. The VoIP server alsoincludes a device management circuit coupled to the call routing circuitand configured to maintain a list of IP addresses for each of theplurality of VoIP-enabled devices. In response to receiving a first datamessage, from a first device not included in the plurality ofVoIP-enabled devices, that includes contact information, and identifiesone of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices, the device managementcircuit adds a new contact having the contact information to therespective contact list of the identified one of the plurality ofVoIP-enabled devices.

In some embodiments, a method is provided for populating contact listsof a VoIP system including a plurality of VoIP-enabled devices and aVoIP server. The VoIP server is configured to route VoIP calls to andfrom the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices and each of the plurality ofVoIP-enabled devices includes a respective one of the contact lists.Using the VoIP server, VoIP calls are routed to and from the pluralityof VoIP-enabled devices. In response to receiving a first data message,from a first device not included in the plurality of VoIP-enableddevices, a new contact is added to one of the contact lists. Thereceived message includes contact information and an account identifierindicating one of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices. The new contactincludes the contact information included in the first data message andis added to the respective contact list corresponding to the one of theplurality of VoIP-enabled devices indicated by the account identifier inthe first data message.

In some embodiments, a VoIP system is provided. The system includes aplurality of VoIP-enabled devices, each having a respective contactlist, and a non-VoIP device. The system also includes a VoIP servercommunicatively-coupled to the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices and thenon-VoIP device. The VoIP server includes a call routing circuit and adevice management circuit. The call routing circuit is configured andarranged to route VoIP calls to and from the plurality of VoIP-enableddevices communicatively-coupled to the VoIP server. The devicemanagement circuit coupled to the call routing circuit and is configuredto maintain a list of IP addresses for each of the plurality ofVoIP-enabled devices. In response to receiving a first data message fromthe non-VoIP device that includes contact information and an accountidentifier indicating one of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices, thedevice management circuit adds a new contact having the contactinformation to the respective contact list corresponding to the one ofthe plurality of VoIP-enabled devices indicated by the accountidentifier in the first data message.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be more completely understood in consideration of thefollowing detailed description of various embodiments of the inventionin connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a telecommunication network consistent with one or moreembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows an example VoIP server in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 shows a process for operating a VoIP server, in accordance withone or more embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 4 shows a process for populating a contact list of an IP phonesystem using data mined from email, in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the present disclosure.

While various embodiments are amenable to various modifications andalternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of examplein the drawings and will be described in detail. It should beunderstood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention tothe particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention isto cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling withinthe spirit and scope of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure describes various methods, systems, andapparatuses for telecommunication. For ease of explanation, the examplesand embodiments herein are primarily described with reference to VoIPtelecommunication services. While the disclosed embodiments are notnecessarily limited to such applications, various aspects of the presentdisclosure may be appreciated through a discussion of various examplesusing this context.

In some disclosed embodiments, an apparatus is configured to provideVoIP services to a plurality of VoIP-enabled devices having respectivecontact lists, and for configuring contact lists of the plurality ofVoIP-enabled devices. The apparatus includes a VoIP servercommunicatively connected to the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices. TheVoIP server includes a call routing circuit configured to route VoIPcalls to and from the plurality of VoIP-enabled devicescommunicatively-coupled to the VoIP server. The VoIP server alsoincludes a device management circuit coupled to the call routing circuitand configured to maintain a list of IP addresses for each of theplurality of VoIP-enabled devices. In response to receiving a first datamessage, from a first device not included in the plurality ofVoIP-enabled devices, that includes contact information and identifiesone of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices, the device managementcircuit adds a new contact having the contact information to therespective contact list of the identified VoIP-enabled device.

In some embodiments, the VoIP server is configured to add the newcontact to the respective contact list of the identified VoIP-enableddevices by storing the contact information in a memory of the identifiedVoIP-enabled device. In some other embodiments, the apparatus includes adatabase configured to store the respective contact lists of theplurality of VoIP-enabled devices. In this arrangement, the new contactis added to the respective contact list of one of the plurality ofVoIP-enabled devices by storing the respective contact information as anentry in the database and associating the entry with the respectivecontact list corresponding to the VoIP-enabled device in the database.

In some embodiments, the VoIP server may be prompted to add contacts toone of the contact lists by messages received from one or more inputdevices. The input devices are not included in the plurality ofVoIP-enabled devices and provide an alternative mechanism to add/modifycontacts. For instance, a user may prompt the management circuit of theVoIP server to add a contact via a graphical-user-interface (GUI)provided by a desktop computer application and/or web-based application.Use of a GUI to input contact information can be much easier thaninputting contacts using an IP phone interface. Further, in someembodiments, the GUI may be configured to import and convert contactsfrom other locations (e.g., a mobile phone service provider).

In some embodiments, an email client application (e.g., Outlook) isconfigured to prompt a VoIP server to add contacts to a contact list ofone of the VoIP devices. For example, the email client may identifypossible contacts to be added from client emails. For instance, a senderof an email message may include a telephone number in the signatureblock of the email message or in an electronic business card (e.g.,vCard) attachment to the email message.

In some implementations, in response to displaying an email message thatincludes a contact telephone number of the email message sender, in thebody of the email or in an attachment, the email client may present aGUI mechanism for a user to add the sender to the contact list of one ofthe VoIP devices. In response to user input selecting the sender as acontact to be added to a contact list, the email client transmits amessage to the server. The message includes at least the telephonenumber of the sender, an alpha-numeric identifier of the sender, and atelephone number of a specified one of the plurality of VoIP-enableddevices associated with the contact list that is to be modified. In oneimplementation a name included in a signature block of the email messageis used as the alpha-numeric identifier of the sender. In anotherimplementation, the email address from which the email message is sentis used as the alpha-numeric identifier of the sender. In anotherimplementation, the alpha-numeric identifier may be retrieved from anelectronic business card (e.g., vCard) attachment to the email message.Contact information may identify individuals or groups of people. Forexample, in some implantations, an alpha-numeric identifier or othercontact information for a group may be provided by a text tag in thesubject or body of an email. In response to the message, the VoIP serveradds a new contact, having the indicated contact information, to thecontact list of the specified one of the plurality of VoIP-enableddevices.

In some implementations, an input device (e.g., an email client) maysearch a target contact list to determine whether or not contactinformation is already included in the respective contact list prior toprompting the VoIP server to add the contact. For instance, referringagain to the email client discussed above, a search may be performed inresponse to identifying contact information in an email, or in responseto the user input selecting the sender as a contact to be added to acontact list. In some other embodiments, the VoIP server may beconfigured to perform such a search in response to receiving contactinformation to be added from an input device.

In some embodiments, systems for VoIP communication are provided thatinclude VoIP-enabled devices, a non-VoIP input device, and a VoIP serverin various combinations. For example, one such system includesVoIP-enabled devices, a non-VoIP input device, and a VoIP server.Another such system includes a non-VoIP input device and a VoIP serverthat are configured to provide VoIP services for third partyVoIP-enabled devices.

Turning now to the figures, FIG. 1 shows a telecommunication networkconsistent with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Thenetwork includes VoIP-enabled devices 128 (e.g., mobile devices,computers, and IP phones) and input devices 126 (e.g., computers)connected on a local area network (LAN) 130. Each of the VoIP enableddevices 128 includes a respective contact list. The contact list of eachVoIP enabled device 128 may be stored in a respective memory of the VoIPenabled device, as shown in FIG. 1, or may be stored in an externalserver or database (e.g., VoIP server 142).

The network includes VoIP servers 142 and 148 configured to route VoIPcalls to and from the VoIP-enabled devices 128. The VoIP servers 142 and148 may route VoIP calls between the VoIP-enabled devices and a numberof non-VoIP telecommunication devices (including, e.g., mobile devices(GSM/CDMA/WiFi) 150 or plain-old-telephone-system (POTS) phones 122. TheVoIP servers 142 and 148 may route each VoIP call from a source deviceto an applicable destination device using various networks including,e.g., public switched telephone networks (PSTN) 102, cellular networks104, and/or the internet 112. For example, in one scenario a VoIP callto a VoIP-enabled device 128 may be routed over the internet 116 to adestination VoIP device 128. In another scenario, a VoIP call to anon-VoIP device (e.g., 122 and 150) may be routed by a first VoIP server142, over the internet 112, to a second VoIP server 148 in the locationof a destination device. The second VoIP server 148 completes the VoIPcall by routing the call as a standard voice call over one or more PSTNnetworks 102 to a destination device 122.

In addition to providing VoIP services, the VoIP server 142 may beconfigured to manage a set of the VoIP-enabled devices 128. For example,in some embodiments, the VoIP server 142 may maintain/modify respectivecontact lists of the VoIP-enabled devices 128. For instance, anauthorized user may prompt the VoIP server 142 to add a contact to acontact list by providing a data message to the VoIP server thatidentifies a specific one of the VoIP-enabled devices and includescontact information to be added to a corresponding contact list.

The data message may be provided to the VoIP server from a number ofdevices. In some embodiments, the data message may be provided to theVoIP server 142 by one or more input devices 126, which are not includedin the set of VoIP-enabled devices 128 managed by the VoIP server 142.For instance, a user may prompt the VoIP server 142 to add a contact viaa GUI on one of the input devices 126. The GUI may be provided by adesktop computer application executed on the input devices 126 or by aweb-based application accessible by the input devices 126. In someembodiments, the input devices 126 may be configured to import andconvert contacts from other locations (e.g., a mobile phone serviceprovider). In some embodiments, one or more of the input devices 126includes an email client application (e.g., Outlook) configured toprompt the VoIP server 142 to add contacts to a contact list of one ofthe VoIP-enabled devices 128. In some implementations, the email clientmay automatically identify possible contacts to be added from clientemails. For instance, a sender of an email message may include atelephone number in the signature block of the email message. In someembodiments, an email server 146 may be configured to may automaticallyidentify possible contacts to be added from client emails and prompt theVoIP server to add the identified contacts to a corresponding contactlist.

FIG. 2 shows a VoIP server, in accordance with one or more embodimentsof the present disclosure. The VoIP server 200 includes a call routingcircuit 210, configured to route VoIP calls to and from VoIP-enableddevices communicatively-coupled to the VoIP server via a network. TheVoIP server also includes a device management circuit 220 coupled to thecall routing circuit and configured to maintain a list of IP addressesfor each of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices. The list of IPaddresses can be used, for example, to determine proper routing of anincoming call to one of the VoIP-enabled devices. The device managementcircuit 220 is also configured to manage a respective contact list ofeach of the VoIP-enabled devices. In some embodiments, the devicemanagement circuit 220 may also be configured to perform traversal ofnetwork address translators (NATs) to maintain a port mapping tocommunicate with VoIP enabled devices located behind a NAT.

In some embodiments, the device management circuit 220 is prompted toadd/remove contacts from a contact list by a data message from an inputdevice, which is not one of the VoIP-enabled devices. The data messageincludes an identifier of one of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devicesand includes contact information to be added to the correspondingcontact list. In response to the data message, the device managementcircuit adds a new contact with the indicated contact information to therespective contact list of the VoIP-enabled devices identified by thedata message.

In some implementations, a VoIP-enabled device may include a memory forstoring the respective contact list. To add a contact to the list, thedevice management circuit prompts the VoIP-enabled device to add acontact to the contact list 232 by sending a message indicating thecontact information to the VoIP-enabled device. Alternatively, thecontact lists may be stored in a central database 230, which may formpart of the VoIP server or may be communicatively coupled to the VoIPserver via a network. In this arrangement, the new contact is added tothe respective contact list of the one of the plurality of VoIP-enableddevices by storing the respective contact information as an entry in thedatabase and associating the entry with the respective contact listcorresponding to the one of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices in thedatabase.

FIG. 3 shows a process for operating a VoIP server, in accordance withone or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The process isinitiated by a trigger event 302, such as data being received by theserver. If the trigger event is a VoIP call received by the server,decision block 304 directs the process to route the VoIP call to/from acorresponding VoIP device at block 308. If the trigger event is thereceipt of contact info and an account ID by the server, decision block306 directs the server to add a contact with the provided contactinformation to a contact list of a VoIP device indicated by the accountID at block 310.

As discussed with reference to FIG. 2, the contact list may be stored ineither a memory of the VoIP device or in a central database. If thecontact list is stored in a memory of the VoIP device, the server mayadd the contact to the contact list by prompting the VoIP device tostore the contact in the memory of the VoIP device. If the contact listis stored in a central database, the server may add the contact to thecontact list by storing the respective contact as an entry in thedatabase and associating the entry with the respective contact listcorresponding to the VoIP-enabled device.

As indicated above, in some embodiments, a user may prompt a VoIP serverto add a contact to a respective contact list using a GUI on an inputdevice. The GUI may be an application executed on the input devices 126or may be a web-based application accessible by the input devices 126(e.g., via a web browser). In some embodiments, a GUI is configured toimport and convert contacts from other locations (e.g., a mobile phoneservice provider).

In some embodiments, the GUI includes an email client application (e.g.,Outlook) configured to automatically identify possible contacts to beadded from client emails. FIG. 4 shows a process for populating acontact list of an IP phone system using data mined from email, inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Inresponse to receiving an email message 402, the email message isdisplayed using a GUI at block 404. If the message includes a telephonecontact number, decision block 406 directs the process to enable a GUIbutton that allows a user to add the sender of the email message to acontact list 408. If the user selects to add the sender to the contactlist, decision block 410 directs the process to send contact information(including the telephone # to a VoIP server) at block 412.

The message may include the telephone number of the sender, analpha-numeric identifier of the sender, and a telephone number of aVoIP-enabled device associated with the contact list that is to bemodified. In one implementation, a name included in a signature block ofthe email message is used as the alpha-numeric identifier of the sender.In another implementation, the email address from which the emailmessage is sent is used as the alpha-numeric identifier of the sender.In response to the message, the VoIP server adds a new contact, havingthe indicated contact information, to the contact list of the specifiedone of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices.

In some implementations, an input device (e.g., an email client) maysearch a target contact list to determine whether or not contactinformation is already included in the respective contact list prior toprompting the VoIP server to add the contact at block 412. For instance,referring again to the email client discussed above, a search may beperformed in response to identifying contact information in an email, orin response to the user input selecting the sender as a contact to beadded to a contact list. In some other embodiments, the VoIP server maybe configured to perform such a search in response to receiving contactinformation to be added from an input device.

The various embodiments as discussed herein may be implemented using avariety of structures and related operations/functions. For instance,one or more embodiments as described herein may be computer-implementedor computer-assisted, as by being coded as software within a codingsystem as memory-based codes or instructions executed by a computerprocessor, microprocessor, PC or mainframe computer. Such computer-basedimplementations may use one or more programmable circuits that includeat least one computer-processor and internal/external memory and/orregisters for data retention and access. One or more embodiments mayalso be implemented in various other forms of hardware such as a statemachine, programmed into a circuit such as a field-programmable gatearray, or implemented using electronic circuits such as digital oranalog circuits. In addition, various embodiments may be implementedusing a tangible storage medium, which stores instructions that, whenexecuted by a processor, performs one or more of the steps, methods orprocesses described herein (e.g., the processor is configured via theinstructions). These applications and embodiments may also be used incombination; for instance, certain functions can be implemented usingdiscrete logic (e.g., a digital circuit) that generates an output thatis provided as an input to a processor.

The various embodiments described above are provided by way ofillustration only and should not be construed to limit the invention.Based upon the above discussion and illustrations, those skilled in theart will readily recognize that various modifications and changes may bemade without strictly following the exemplary embodiments andapplications illustrated and described herein. For instance, althoughimplementations may in some cases be described in individual figures, itwill be appreciated that features from one figure can be combined withfeatures from another figure even though the combination is notexplicitly shown or explicitly described as a combination. It isintended that the specification and illustrated embodiments beconsidered as examples only, with a true scope of the invention beingindicated by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for providing VoIP services to aplurality of voice-over-Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) enabled devices, eachincluding circuitry configured to enable VoIP communication, theapparatus comprising: a VoIP-enabled communication circuit includingintegrated computing and communication circuitry configured tocommunicate over a VoIP-enabled communication network; a call routingcircuit communicatively coupled with the integrated computing andcommunication circuitry and configured and arranged to route VoIP callsbetween different ones of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices; and amanagement circuit coupled to the call routing circuit and configuredand arranged to manage communications by maintaining a list of IPaddresses for each of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices, receivingan account identifier (“ID”) in a data message from a first VoIP-enableddevice not included among the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices, thedata message including contact information for the first VoIP-enableddevice and the account ID identifying a specified VoIP-enabled device ofthe plurality of VoIP-enabled devices; and identifying, from the accountID, the specified VoIP-enabled device of the plurality of VoIP-enableddevices, and in response, prompting the specified VoIP-enabled device tostore the contact information for a new contact in a memory circuit ofthe specified VoIP device that stores a respective contact list for thespecified VoIP device.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theVoIP-enabled communication circuit is implemented at least in part inthe form of a VoIP server, the VoIP server being configured and arrangedto receive data messages with contact information from devices operatingas email clients associated with the account ID.
 3. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the specified VoIP-enabled device is further configuredto store contact lists which identify respective ones of theVoIP-enabled devices, and wherein at least one of the contact listsincludes emails of clients associated with the account ID.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising the first VoIP-enabled device,the first VoIP-enabled device configured and arranged to: retrieve anddisplay email messages; in response to displaying an email messageincluding a contact telephone number of a sender of the email message,receive an input for selecting the sender as a contact to be added to acontact list of the specified VoIP device of the plurality ofVoIP-enabled devices; and in response to user input selecting the senderas a contact to be added to the contact list of the specified VoIPdevice of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices, transmit the datamessage to the VoIP-enabled communication circuit, where the datamessage includes at least one of the telephone number of the sender, anidentifier of the sender, and a telephone number of the specified VoIPdevice of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices.
 5. The apparatus ofclaim 1, further comprising the first VoIP-enabled device, wherein thefirst VoIP-enabled device is configured and arranged to: retrieve anddisplay email messages, receive as an input a selected sender as acontact to be added to the contact list of the specified VoIP device ofthe plurality of VoIP-enabled devices, and transmit the data message foran external computer in response to determining that the sender is notalready included in the contact list of the specified VoIP device of theplurality of VoIP-enabled devices, wherein the data message includes atleast one of: the telephone number of the sender, an identifier of thesender, and a telephone number of the specified VoIP device of theplurality of VoIP-enabled devices.
 6. The apparatus of claim 2, furthercomprising the first VoIP-enabled device, the first VoIP-enabled deviceconfigured and arranged to: retrieve and display email messages; inresponse to displaying an email message including a contact telephonenumber of a sender of the email message, receive an input for selectingthe sender as a contact to be added to the contact list of the specifiedVoIP device of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices; and in response touser input selecting the sender as a contact to be added to the contactlist of the specified VoIP device of the plurality of VoIP-enableddevices, transmit the data message to the VoIP-enabled communicationcircuit, where the data message includes an identifier of the sender andwherein an alpha-numeric identifier of the sender is a name included ina signature block of the email message.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1,further comprising the first VoIP-enabled device, the first VoIP-enableddevice configured and arranged to: retrieve and display email messages;in response to displaying an email message including a contact telephonenumber of a sender of the email message, receive an input for selectingthe sender as a contact to be added to the contact list of the specifiedVoIP device of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices; and in response touser input selecting the sender as a contact to be added to the contactlist of the specified VoIP device of the plurality of VoIP-enableddevices, transmit the data message to the VoIP-enabled communicationcircuit, where the data message includes an email address from which theemail message is sent and other data for contacting the specified VoIPdevice of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices.
 8. The apparatus ofclaim 1, further comprising the first VoIP-enabled device, the firstVoIP-enabled device configured and arranged to: retrieve and displayemail messages; in response to displaying an email message including acontact telephone number of a sender of the email message, receive aninput for selecting the sender as a contact to be added to the contactlist of the specified VoIP device of the plurality of VoIP-enableddevices; and in response to user input selecting the sender as a contactto be added to the contact list of the specified VoIP device of theplurality of VoIP-enabled devices, transmit the data message to theVoIP-enabled communication circuit, where the data message includes atleast one of the telephone number of the sender, an alpha-numericidentifier of the sender, and a telephone number of the specified VoIPdevice of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices, and wherein the contacttelephone number of the sender of the email message is included in anelectronic business card attachment to the email.
 9. The apparatus ofclaim 1, further comprising the first VoIP-enabled device, the firstVoIP-enabled device configured and arranged to: retrieve and displayemail messages; in response to displaying an email message including acontact telephone number of a sender of the email message, receive aninput for selecting the sender as a contact to be added to the contactlist of the specified VoIP device of the plurality of VoIP-enableddevices; and in response to user input selecting the sender as a contactto be added to the contact list of the specified VoIP device of theplurality of VoIP-enabled devices, transmit the data message to theVoIP-enabled communication circuit, where the data message includes atleast one of the telephone number of the sender, an alpha-numericidentifier of the sender, and a telephone number of the specified VoIPdevice of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices, and wherein the firstVoIP-enabled device is further configured to, in response to determiningthat the sender of the email message is not already included in thecontact list of the specified VoIP device of the plurality ofVoIP-enabled devices, transmit the data message to the VoIP-enabledcommunication circuit in response to a user replying to the emailmessage.
 10. An apparatus for providing VoIP services to a plurality ofvoice-over-Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) enabled devices, each includingcircuitry configured to enable VoIP communication, the apparatuscomprising: communication circuitry, including VoIP server circuitry,for VoIP-enabled communications and for communicating over aVoIP-enabled communication network; call routing circuitry, including acall routing circuit, for communicating with the communication means andfor routing VoIP calls between different ones of the plurality ofVoIP-enabled devices; and management circuitry, communicatively coupledto the VoIP server circuitry and the call routing circuit, formaintaining a list of IP addresses for each of the plurality ofVoIP-enabled devices, receiving an account identifier (“ID”) in a datamessage from first VoIP-enabled device not included among the pluralityof VoIP-enabled devices, the data message including contact informationfor the first VoIP-enabled device and the account ID identifying aspecified VoIP-enabled device of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices;and identifying, from the account ID, the specified VoIP-enabled deviceof the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices, and in response prompt thespecified VoIP-enabled device configured to store contact informationfor a new contact in a memory circuit of the specified VoIP device thatstores a respective contact list for the specified VoIP device.
 11. Amethod for providing VoIP services to a plurality of voice-over-InternetProtocol (“VoIP”) enabled devices, each including circuitry configuredto enable VoIP communication, the method comprising: using VoIP servercircuitry to facilitate VoIP communications by communicating over aVoIP-enabled communication network; routing VoIP calls by communicatingand routing, over the VoIP-enabled communication network, VoIP callsbetween different ones of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices, andelectronically managing VoIP communications over the VoIP-enabledcommunication network by communicating with the VoIP server circuitryand the call routing circuit by maintaining a list of IP addresses foreach of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices, receiving an accountidentifier (“ID”) in a data message from a first VoIP-enabled device notincluded among the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices, the data messageincluding contact information for the first VoIP-enabled device and theaccount ID identifying a specified VoIP-enabled device of the pluralityof VoIP-enabled devices; and identifying, from the account ID, thespecified VoIP-enabled device of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices,and in response prompt the specified VoIP-enabled device configured tostore contact information for a new contact in a memory circuit of thespecified VoIP device that stores a respective contact list for thespecified VoIP device.
 12. The method of claim 11, the method furthercomprising receiving data messages with contact information from devicesoperating as email clients associated with the account ID.
 13. Themethod of claim 11, the method further comprising, using the firstVoIP-enabled device: retrieving and displaying email messages; inresponse to displaying an email message including a contact telephonenumber of a sender of the email message, receiving an input forselecting the sender as a contact to be added to a contact list of thespecified VoIP enable device of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices;and in response to user input selecting the sender as a contact to beadded to the contact list of the specified VoIP enable device of theplurality of VoIP-enabled devices, transmitting the data message to theserver circuitry, where the data message includes at least one of thetelephone number of the sender, an alpha-numeric identifier of thesender, and a telephone number of the specified VoIP enable device ofthe plurality of VoIP-enabled devices.
 14. The method of claim 13,wherein the transmitting of the data message to the VoIP servercircuitry is performed in response to determining that the sender is notalready included in the contact list of the specified VoIP enable deviceof the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices.
 15. The method of claim 11,the method further comprising, using the first VoIP-enabled device:retrieving and displaying email messages, receiving as an input aselected sender as a contact to be added to a contact list of thespecified VoIP enable device of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices,and transmitting the data message for an external computer in responseto determining that the sender is not already included in the contactlist of the specified VoIP enable device of the plurality ofVoIP-enabled devices, wherein the data message includes at least one of:a telephone number of the sender, an alpha-numeric identifier of thesender, and a telephone number of the specified VoIP enable device ofthe plurality of VoIP-enabled devices.
 16. The apparatus of claim 7,wherein the other data in the data message for contacting the specifiedVoIP enable device of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices includescontact information retrieved from the signature block of the emailmessage.
 17. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the other data in thedata message for contacting the specified VoIP enable device of theplurality of VoIP-enabled devices includes contact information retrievedfrom an attachment to the email message.
 18. The apparatus of claim 7,wherein the other data in the data message indicates contact informationfor a group of individuals, the contact information for the group beingretrieved from a text tag in the subject or body of the email message.19. An apparatus for providing VoIP services to a plurality ofvoice-over-Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) enabled devices, each includingcircuitry configured to enable VoIP communication, the apparatuscomprising: a VoIP-enabled communication circuit including integratedcomputing and communication circuitry configured to communicate over aVoIP-enabled communication network; a call routing circuitcommunicatively coupled with the integrated computing and communicationcircuitry and configured and arranged to route VoIP calls betweendifferent ones of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices; a firstVoIP-enabled device not included among the plurality of VoIP-enableddevices; and a management circuit coupled to the call routing circuitand configured and arranged to manage communications by maintaining alist of IP addresses for each of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices,receiving an account identifier (“ID”) in a data message from the firstVoIP-enabled device not included among the plurality of VoIP-enableddevices, the data message including contact information for the firstVoIP-enabled device and the account ID identifying a specifiedVoIP-enabled device of the plurality of VoIP-enabled devices; andidentifying, from the account ID, the specified VoIP-enabled device ofthe plurality of VoIP-enabled devices, and in response, prompting thespecified VoIP-enabled device to store contact information for a newcontact in a memory circuit of the specified VoIP device that stores arespective contact list for the specified VoIP device; and wherein thefirst VoIP-enabled device is further configured and arranged to retrieveand display e-mail messages, and in response to displaying an emailmessage including a contact telephone number of a sender of the emailmessage, receive an input for selecting the sender as a contact to beadded to the contact list of the specified VoIP device of the pluralityof VoIP-enabled devices.